


New Normal

by Ginal



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumbleby - Freeform, F/F, Light Angst, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginal/pseuds/Ginal
Summary: Yang and Blake have a heart to heart while working toward their new normal.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 8
Kudos: 105





	New Normal

A palpable tension hung in the air, nearly as thick as the industrial smog that accented the city's atmosphere. The neon glow of billboards and recordings from state officials coated Mantle, joined by the din of honking vehicles and riled packs of anxious voters. It was enough to forgive you for forgetting that night had fallen.

From atop the city's protective stone wall, though, it all seemed distant and unimportant. Not more than background commotion trying to distract from what mattered. Piercing, gold eyes surveyed the land beyond the city, but found little of interest in the snow and rock that stretched into the horizon. Blake's feline ears twitched at the sound of a popping cork, drawing her attention to the taller, golden maned woman nearby. Champagne flowed from its bottle into two thin flutes, a simple smile on Yang's lips.

"Gotta be honest, I almost thought Weiss was gonna call us on that dance club line." said Yang. "Thank the gods she was in her mood."

She handed a glass to Blake, unable to miss the smirk she wore in response.

"As if I'd ever let you drag me to that kind of hell." Blake coyly remarked. "What are we drinking to, anyway?"

A simple shrug. "Whatever we want."

They clinked glasses and allowed a moment to appreciate the sweet, effervescent liquid. When Yang's gaze fell back upon Blake, it seemed almost like the world was melting away. No more of the city’s commotion, no thin layer of heat and stone keeping a frozen hellscape at bay. Just her and Blake.

And those damn eyes Yang always felt like she could fall into.

Blake felt the heat on her cheeks as Yang stared, and had to avert her gaze. Those looks were happening increasingly often these days, like that morning Blake cut her hair. It had been becoming a new normal ever since what happened at that waterfall. Blake could admit to herself that she found the attention welcome, even if she believed she’d never get used to it. Even if some of her memories from that day still pulled at the anxieties in the recesses of her mind.

It was an awkward moment the two shared, standing in silence as they sipped on their drinks. One of several they found themselves in during moments they could slip away from the others, where the desire to say much lingered in their hearts, and yet words rarely came. A new, bumbling, exciting, calming normal. Entirely wonderful, wholly theirs, and neither woman could deny she loved every moment of it.

"You know...it really does look good this way."

Heat spread across Yang's cheeks, too, as her eyes took in her beloved's recent change of hairstyle. Her palm cupped Blake's cheek, who nuzzled into it. They met each other's gaze, and shared a soft, contented sigh as Yang rested her forehead on Blake's.

A ray of moonlight caught Blake’s eye as it bounced from Yang’s metal arm. Her gaze dropped, ears folded onto her head, and she suddenly felt small and ashamed. Her legs twitched with the impulse to flee, as she briefly thought of using her shadow to escape. She wondered if she deserved what was happening, what life was now giving her. Yes, she would keep the promises she made, but did she deserve to gain further from that? Shouldn’t she somehow be made to make amends for her wrongs?

Yang knew that look. She had seen a lot of them over the years. The guilt and anxiety that could be seen in Blake's eyes was, at times, enough to make even Yang want to cry. Her gaze dropped to her prosthetic as she clenched her fist, a frustrated frown on her lips. In her heart, though, was only the calm resolve of accepting what had been. It may have been an impulse that led to this, an instinctual reaction spurred on by feelings Yang hadn't begun to address in herself back then, but she didn’t regret it. 

Having set the champagne flute down, she gently pushed Blake’s head up by the chin, offering a sincere smile. “I’d do it again.”

Blake was stunned by the statement, and could only stare. “Why...why are you so good to me?” she stuttered. Wet trails streaked down her cheeks as a tremble crept over her. “You’ve had so many chances to...to tell me I wronged you, or...demand I make it up, or…”

Yang reached for Blake’s hands to reassuringly squeeze them. Her own tears threatened to spill, but she choked them back for the moment. She only wanted Blake to be at peace. “Because it’s how it is. We’re here for each other, we protect each other, we...we love each other.”

That was the word that called Blake’s feline ears to perk up. The word that sent her heart into her throat. The word that halted her tears and forced the wall, the city, and the very world around them to vanish from her sight. Blake gazed up at Yang, whos gentle smile and reassuring caress of Blake’s cheek only helped punctuate what was just spoken.

“My arm was a small sacrifice for the time it bought you, Blake. Because... I love you.”

Slowly, unsteadily, did Blake’s hand find its way to Yang’s cheek. Her tears resumed, though this time because of the swelling of joy in her heart. As her lips turned up into a trembling smile, a brief breeze took Yang’s lengthy hair as a dance partner, and Blake realized wet trails now ran from Yang’s eyes, as well.

“Yeah… We do. I do. I... love you, Yang.”

A simple, happy whimper escaped Yang as she nuzzled into Blake’s palm. Blake seemed to glow under the moon’s illumination, causing Yang's heart to skip a beat. Together, their eyes closed as their lips met, while equal parts calm and exhilaration washed over them. Now, not only was the world around them gone from their senses, existence itself ceased as they shared the gentle, loving kiss. 

Blake’s eyes opened as they parted, her arms hooked around Yang’s neck as her ears once again registered the faint noise of the city.

“So...we might not be at the club, but… Care to dance?” Yang asked as her arms wrapped around her lover’s waist.

As Blake began to answer, the blaring clamor of the city’s siren startled them both. They realized people in the streets were screaming, and together they caught sight of large, black, winged forms descending from the clouds.

“Ugh… Save me that dance?” Blake asked, drawing her sword.

Yang beamed as the plating of her gauntlets unfolded around her forearms, and there it was again. That shimmer in those deep, golden pools, and the way they narrowed only when they fell upon Yang herself. Her heart skipped another beat, and she forced herself to remember the situation in the city. “Always.”

It was going to be a long night, as they leapt hand in hand from their private dance floor. But, though duty called, the night was theirs, and the future extended well beyond it.

Another piece of their new normal.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first attempt at a RWBY fanfic. Any feedback is appreciated.


End file.
